US Democracy and participation Flashcards
Which electoral system is used in the US for federal elections
FPTP
Outline the process of becoming president
1Announcement/invisable primary- 12-18 months before election day. It is an intra party campaign - candidates from the same party campaign to establish themselves as viable candidate for the party’s presidential nominee
2 primaries and caucuses- take place at state level between February and June. Candidates from the same party compete against each other in a public vote to decide who will be the party’s presidential candidate
3 national party conventions- in July, they confirm each party’s nominee for the president and vice president and agree a party platform (manifesto)
4 the campaign between July and November the announced candidate from each party campaigns for the presidency
5 election day - Tuesday after the first Monday in November. Voters are not directly electing the president they are nominating the electors from their state to the electoral college to whose their states electoral college vote will go
6 electoral college - on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December
7 inauguration- 20th January of the following year president is sworn in and officially takes on the role
What does the constitution state about the president
1 at least 35 years old
2 natural born US citizen
3 resident in US for more than 14 years
4 the 22nd amendment limits the president to 2 terms
Why is the election of US president not a direct election
The people are not voting for the president but for electors from their state who elect the president on their behalf
How does the electoral college work
1 each state is given a number of electoral college votes - total of 538 electoral college votes
2 number each state gets depends on their population - it is the same number as the senators plus the number of representitives the state has
3 on election day the electorate in each state are voting to decide which party their states eves will go to
4 in 48 states the party with the most votes gets all of that states evcs In Maine and Nebraska EVCs are allocated by district
5 to win a presidential candidate must achieve 270 EVCs - popular vote does not matter
What is a rogue voter
Also known as a faithless elector is an elector who does not cast their EVC for the candidate their state voted for- illegal in 30 of th3 50 states
Describe a case study of 2016 US election
Trump v Clinton on election day Trump gained 63 million votes 46% Clinton gained 66 million 48% but Trump won 30 states worth 306 EBCs whereas Clinton won 20 states worth 232 EVCs.
So even though Trump got fewer votes he was the winner
There have been many debates about reforming the electoral process describe the advantages and disadvantages of each stage of the process
Invisible primaries
Advantages
1 identifies candidates able to gain enough support and money
2 allows for a range of candidates
3 candidates are scrutinised
Disadvantages
1 those able to raise the most money are not necessarily the best candidate
2 the length of the process can cause apathy
Primaries and Caucuses
Advantages
1 maintain federalism
2 allows intra party choice
3 caucuses allow for party involvement
4 more participation in open primaries and caucuses
Disadvantages
1 they can be sabotaged
2 low turnout in both
3 calendar effects the importance of the primaries which has led to front loading
National and Party Convenetions
Advantages
1 formally announce the party candidate
2 engage the party faithful
3 a poll bounce (gain in the poll ratings)
4 to coverage allows for national involvement
Disadvantages
1 increasingly president and vice candidates are already known as is the party platform
2 to coverage is being reduced to just acceptance speeches
Electoral college
Advantages
1 states with a small population are still important
2 decisive outcome
3 usually this rebuts in the winner gaining a majority of the popular vote
4 promotes a 2 party system
5 it works largely as the founding fathers intended
Disadvantages
1 complex. And recent problems have caused more apathy
2 the winner may not have a majority of the vote
3 the winner takes all nature of state electors mean the population is not adequately represented
4 swing states overly powerful
5 disadvantages third parties
A candidate for presidency or congress is more likely to be successful if they are the incumbent. What is incumbent
The person already holding the office. In the last 11 elections the incumbent has won 8 times
What are the advantages of being the incumbent
1 well known to voters and may have proved popular in first term
2 fundraising - incumbent does not have to worry as much about fundraising but their ability to fundraise is great
3 government control - as head of government and head of state the incumbent president is able to undertake vote winning behaviour in the run up to the election
4 Campaign experience - th incumbent candidate has already been through and won a campaign so should be more polished and rehearsed
5 single candidate - incumbent is usury unchallenged from their own party. The opposing party must go through public primaries where they expose each others weaknesses
6 risk aversion - American voters can sometimes be seen as unwilling to change
7 presumed success - given the history of incumbent success there is a belief the incumbent will be successful regardless of circumstances
When was the first billion dollar presidential election campaign and what was total spend
2008 total spend per vote was $8 in 2012 each candidate raised more than a billion dollars each vote cost $20
How is the money raised
There ate 527 groups who raise unlimited money for political activities but not specifically for or against a candidate
What do political action committees do
PACs raise hard money to elect or defeat a specific candidate but are limited in their contribution to $5000 per candidate per election
What are the rules for super PACs
They can raise unlimited money for political activities they can support or oppose a candidate but cannot organise this with the persons campaign organisation
Out line 3 pieces of legislation around campaign finance
1 1974 federal election campaign act placed legal limits on campaign contributions
2 2002 bipartisan campaign reform act banned soft money
3 2010 a Supreme Court ruling which resulted in the development of super MACs
Describe an election which bucked the trend that the candidate with the biggest war chest wins a campaign
2016 Clinton raised $1.4 billion Trump $957.6 million, it was calculated Trump gained $2 billion of free media to Clinton $746 million
So it can still be claimed the candidate who did raise most money won
Why is campaign finance reform so hard
1 Supreme Court - by interpreting the constitution in citizens united vFEC the court has made it difficult to constitutionally limit campaign spending
2 politicians - those in a position to make change are often the ones who have benefitted from the current system in winning their seat
3 loopholes are constantly found - in addition to Supreme Court rulings the varying groups and types of spending are tactics to get around spending limits
4 federal election commission - the commission is continually gridlocked and fails to work in bipartisan manner meaning it struggles to enforce spending rules
List potential campaign finance reforms
1 as trialled in Seattle a democracy voucher program with each voter having four $25 tax payer funded vouchers to give candidates
2 make don ar declarations more timely rather than every quarter which means some figures are not released until after the election
3 small donor matching funds making smaller donations more lucrative
4 remove campaign finance limits - although migh t allow further influence of the wealthy it allows a greater range of voices
Why is electoral reform in the US used with reference to the electoral collage
The reform of just the system would have little impact without reforming the electoral collage
What are the reasons for reform
1 swing states are given to much importance
2 the electoral college is outdated
3 rogue voters
4 small states are over represented
5 third parties are ignored
6 ther person who wins may not have a majority vote undermining their mandate
What is the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact NPVIC
This pact is an agreement between these states and the District of Columbia, stting that they will give their 163 electoral college votes to whichever presidential candidate wins the popular vote nationally rather than in their state
List types of reform
1 abolish the electoral college and replace with a direct national vote- need a constitutional amendment
2 expand the NPVIC but this would be non enforceable due to the constitutional outline of the electoral college still being in place
3 apportion electors by district rather than by state so that’s safe states would be removed and the focus will be on districts instead
Is reform necessary for the state
Yes
1 larger states are under represented
NO
1 the electoral college retains state power
2 it protects the voice of smaller states
3 it ensures all areas of a state have a role
Is reform necessary for the people
YES
1 in the last 5 elections the popular vote has not been respected
NO
1 the electoral collage is in line with the constitutional principal of avoiding tyranny of the majority
2 the 2 party system encouraged by the electoral college usually gives the people choice
Is reform necessary for the president
Yes
It encourages him to pay more attention to swing states
NO
A decisive and accepted outcome is usually the result
Is reform necessary for the constitution
Yes
The electoral collage makes the constitution look outdated
No
The electoral collage does work as the founding fathers intended
What are the similarities and difference between the US and UK electoral systems
Similarities
1 both use FPTP so the winner may not have an outright majority of the popular vote
2 both operate nationally on a 2 party system
3 the chances of reelection of the incumbent are high in both countries
4 the 2 party system is sustained by policy co optional in both countries where popular third party policies are stolen by the 2 main parties
Differences
1 the UK has direct election for their MPs only- the leader of the party with a majority of seats becomes PM. In US the voters vote both congress and the president
2 the elections at local and developed levels in UK involve more than 2 parties. The success of 3rd parties in. The US is limited
3 the role of campaign finance is far greater in the USA than UK
4 ther are greater number of electoral systems in use in the UK
In UK and US there has been scandals regarding election funding. How can these electoral funding scandals be removed
Further the state funding of elections and parties and restrict outside cash influence
What are the arguements for and against for the furthering of state funding elections and parties
FOR
1 would encourage purism over elitism
2 would be fairer for third parties
3 could reduce public apathy
AGAINST
1 would make parties less reliant in and less responsive to voters
2 could challenge party Independance
What are the democratic and republican ideologies on social and moral issues such as abortion, same sex rights, the environment and crime
Democrats
1 more progressive attitude
2 more supportive of abortion access and same sex marriage
Republicans
1 more conservative attitude
2 large proportion of the party believe in the sanctity of life
What ate the democratic and republican ideologies on economical issues such as tax, economy, bank regulations, minimum wage
Democrats
1 in favour of tax cuts but focus on lower and middle classes
2 accept government regulations as needed
3 call for a federal minimum wage
Republicans
1 in favour of tax cuts for all
2 favour minimal government intervention and regulations with the expeption of protecting US jobs and trade
What are the democratic and republican ideologies on welfare eg health, education and pensions
Democrats
1 support healthcare as a right and sought to expand Obamacare
Republicans
1 and overturned Obamacare to be replaced with free market equivalent
2 strong preference for personal responsibility
As the democrats and republicans have such broad ideologies each party can be seen as a collection of factions. What is a faction
1 factions in a party develop and change over time
2 it is acknowledged factions exist but party members would not say they were part of a faction
List democratic factions
liberals
1 more left leaning members of the party
2 aim for government intervention to achieve social justice
3 favour provision of welfare
4support policies which are more socialist
Conservatives
1 socially conservative but fiscally liberal members
2 sometimes known as blue dogs
Moderates
1 willing to comprimise of welfare and fiscal policy
2 often supported by minority groups or blue collar workers
3 accept capitalism and current market order-
List republican factions
Social conservative
1 favour traditional views on social and moral issues
2 generally are anti abortion, opposed to gay rights and anti immigration
3 emphasise law and order
4 often include members of the rebellious right
Moderate
1 fiscally conservative but socially liberal willing to accept advancements in gay rights and abortion
2 are sometimes known as republican in name only
Fiscal Conservatives
1 favour limited government intervention in the economy
2 argue for low tax and free trade
3 as seen in the freedom caucus of the party
Describe party organisation in congress
1 congressional leaders - the leadership positions in congress are all held by partisan congressmen - the speaker and minority leader in the house, the majority and minority leaders in the senate
2 the whips - to try to control the discipline in the party, both parties employ whips. These are more powerful in the house than the senate due to individual importance of senators
3 congressional committees - each party has a committee which overseas policies it advances within congress. These are known as policy and steering committees
4 caucuses- these are groups within congress containing members that have shared interest. Some caucuses cut across party lines some are intra party such as the freedom caucuses and these can affect party policy
What is the function of national organisation
The national committees for the democratic and republican parties are in charge of organising national party conventions
What is the most importance element of party organisation
This happens at state level because the constitution gives the state the right to run their own elections
What are the arguements for parties being in decline
1 presidential and vice presidential candidates are chosen without the national party
2 issue voting has grown in importance
3 fractions within parties seem to wield more power - parties are not united behind one ideological view
4 due to primaries and caucuses a party has little control over its candidate
What are the arguements for party renewal
1 nationalised election campaigns means that the main parties are the only ones politically and financially capable of fighting an election
2 increasing political polarisation of the USA with liberals and conservatives becoming more entrenched in their ideologies has made parties more important
3 increasing partisanship evident in congressional voting patterns suggests that the party remains prominent
4 national parties still hold a nomination role especially with the democrats super delegates having a big influence at the national party conventions
Describe the 2 party system in the USA
Most seats in government and most elections are won by democrats or republicans
Why is the US a 2 party system
1 the use of FPTP encourages a 2 party system
2 the winner takes all nature of most states allocation of electoral college votes
3 the cooperation of third party policies means even when a third party has a promotable policy it is soon adopted by at least 1 of the major parties
4 the broad church ideology of US political parties
5 the electoral college encourages a 2 horse race
5 the federal nature of the USA - if there were 2 main parties for every state the result in congress could be a lack of majority and cause gridlock
What is a unified government and a divided government
When one party holding the presidency. The house of representatives and the senate
When they are controlled by different parties it is known as a divided government
In what ways is the US not a 2 party system
1 with each party being organised on a state basis the arguement could be made that neither the republicans or the democrats are truely 1 party
2 the breadth of both parties could mean that talking of 2 parties is inaccurate with the similarities being greater than their differences
3 third parties have had an increasing impact on US politics with their vote share tripling in 2016
4 some states are solidly democratic or republican making the situation within those states one party
Explain the impact of FPTP
1 it is a plurality system - candidates have to gain the most votes in a district to win and not a majority
2 to gain plurality a candidate must gain considerable support in a district
3 when more than 2 parties run it splits the votes in a district between more parties meaning the amount needed to win is lower
4 the effect of this in UK and US is that it results in 2 party dominance even though third parties exist they rarely win
Why can it be argued UK is a multi party system
Even though other parties are represented in Westminster they do not have a realistic chance of forming a government
What is the impact of these third parties
Positive impact
The rise of UKIP had a huge impact on conservative manifesto in 2015
2 the role of opposition days and urgent questions in the House of Commons gives third parties a say
Negative impact
The size of republicans and democrats means their parties third parties have little impact of power in USA
Compare Labour and republicans
Similarities
1 both favour minimum wage and workers rights
2 both favour higher government intervention in economy and welfare
Differences
Labour is more willing to increase taxes democrats accept but rarely want to advance tax
Compare conservatives and republicans
Similarities
1 both dislike government intervention especially in the economy and welfare
2 both favour high levels of defence spending
Differences
1 conservatives have a more liberal view on many social issues than republicans including gay rights and environment
2 Republican Party has greater affiliation to religion than conservative does
List the factions for each party
Labour - momentum, progress
Conservatives- thatcherites and 1933 committee
Democrats - progressive and blue dogs
Republicans - RINOs and freedom caucus
Why are interest groups significant
1 parties are weak and this allows interest groups greater access by targeting factions within parties. Party weakness also means party policies are flexible and responsive to pressure groups
2increasing political apathy towards the main parties in the USA and increasing votes for third parties signify a shit to issue based voting
3 the constitution protects the rights of groups to exist but also gives them judicial recourse if their rights are challenged by Supreme Court
4 a large number of access points (a point at which groups can apply pressure to achieve change ) means greater choice and a chance for a group to gain influence
5 the federal nature of the USA means that groups can target change on a local level instead of worrying about m national politics
Out line and explain 3 factors that affect group significance
1 group finances
Money is crucial to interest group success, may be used to hire lobbyists, launch advertising campaigns, or contribute to campaigns of congressional politicians sympathetic to their cause
2 group membership
Number of group members is important as the more members the more voters a congressional politician stands to gain by listening to you. Secondly more members means more chance to organise an event , protest or campaign
More members means more membership money
3 expertise
A group with expertise in their field is more likely to be able to offer useful reports and lobbying congress
What is lobbying
Using persuasion to influence an individual or organisation
Who are the individuals who lobby
Lobbyists
Name a lobbyist and outline a case study
John Boehner
2 resigned from his role as the speaker of the house of representitives in 2015 in 2016 joined 6th biggest lobbyist firm
Who lobbies
Lobbying can take place by firms on behalf of interest groups or by the interest groups themselves
What are other tactics to gain influence
1 congressional report cards and funding - groups rate congressmen’s for the sympathy to their issue - a low rating means less funding or loss of voters
2 protest and demonstrations - these could be organised rally’s or action through petitions or websites
3 publicity and media - advertising campaigns to influence voters into contacting their congressional politician or changing their voting behaviour
How are interest groups categorised
By their political philospphy
Name 3 interest groups
Policy groups - try to influence a policy area
Professional groups - represent the interest of their members similar to unions
3 single issue groups try to influence on small specific area
List and explain types of democracy
1 liberal democracy - places emphasis on the protection of rights , limited government and free and fair elections
2 representative democracy - places importance on the representations by elected officials
3 purist democracy - values the tolerance of views and wide dispersal of power
4 constitutional democracy - all or the systems and processes are laid out in a written constitution
Assess interest groups impact on democracy
1 scrutinising government
A Interest groups scrutinise government decisions and protest them in their own interest
B successful outcome is a good result for the liberal democracy and dispersal of power for a pluralist democracy
but
A Changing the minds of those who have been elected on a platform could be seen as a negative arguement for representitive democracy
B Buying access through lobbying could be seen to contravene the idea of free and fair elections
2 Increasing representation
A the social make up of congress does not reflect society so interest groups can represent under represented groups
BUT
A this directly undermines representative democracy which places power in the hands of the elected, frequent elections in the US give plenty of chances to change the representative
B it can encourage a tyranny of the minority who’s is contrary to pluralist democracy
3 Encouraging participation
A interest groups allow the disaffected and apathetic to be involved in areas of politics which most interest them
BUT
Illegal participation is liberal and undermines democracy generally
Do influence groups influence
Arguements for being influential
1 groups can submit reports to congress on proposed bills and may be asked to give evidence to a committee
2 groups can bring cases to Supreme Court
3 groups can do at money to campaigns and additions of super PACs allows almost limitless involvement
4 groups can arrange amicus curiae briefs for the Supreme Court
5 groups can rate congressional politicians and launch campaigns for or against them in their districts
6 there are a vast range of access points at local state and national level for a group to use
7 some interest groups have close relationships with current or former congressional politicians or their staff giving them insider access
8 groups can provide congress with expert information on their issues
Arguements for Lacking influence
1 it would be unusual for only one group to be involved in this manner so allocating influence is difficult
2 ultimately the Supreme Court decides which of the 8000 cases it receives it will hear
3 direct campaign contributions are limited and the groups can only access a limited choice of candidates
4 the Supreme Court is ultimately only allowed to make its decisions on the basis of the US constitution
5 the power of incumbency suggests such campaigns are of limited value
6 at national level while a group may find favour in one branch checks and balances mean this needs to be reciprocated for them to be successful
7 the number of interest groups with such access is limited in number
8 this wo;; be only one factor that congress considers especially in a system with a short election cycle
Describe how lobbyist influence different branches
Congress
1 lobbying members of congress
2 giving evidence to committee
3 proposing legislation with a member of congress
4 electioneering
Presidency
1 lobbying
2 electioneering
3 iron triangles where a congressional committee, executive department and interest group all have similar aims and are more able to give them the power of this relationship
Supreme Court
1 amicus curiae briefs
2 protests outside of the court
3 taking a case to the Supreme Court
4 lobbying on Supreme Court vacancies
Interest groups or pressure groups in UK exist in UK and US describe how their power methods and influence can vary
Power
Similarities
1 groups in both countries are able to access members of the executive and legislature through lobbying
2 free media in both countries means groups can buy advertising or use stunts to gain media attention
Differences
1 court cases are more commonly brought by interest groups in the US and supported by them in the UK
2 the size of the US makes a mass protest more complex than in the UK
Methods
Similarities
1 methods of groups in both countries are broadly similar
2 both look to support of current or former legislators as patrons for their group
3 both organise protests and demonstrations as a show of public support
4. Both can use lobbying to access government
5 both use media and advertising to create pressure and interest
Differences
1 US groups are more involved in elections that UK Common for US groups to rate their congressional politicians and advertises for or against their re election
2 it is more common for groups in US to give money to election campaigns
Influence
Similarities
1 interest groups in both countries give evidence to committees in the legislative branch
2 in both countries groups use the courts to exert influence on government
3 in both countries groups have more influence if they have more members and money
Difference
1 in Us groups have Supreme Court as the final court of appeal in UK groups can go to EJR or ECHR
2 judicial rulings in the UK can be ignored by government
3 a greater number of access points in the US means a greater chance of achieving influence
Debate should the electoral college be reformed
Yes
1 in 2 of the last 6 presidential elections the winner of the popular vote has ost in the electoral college undermining modern principles of popular sovereignty
2 it effectively excluded third parties from the electoral process as the ECVs are not allocated proportionally and third party votes tend to be thinly spread across the nation
3 small state are over represented in the electoral college
4 the bellwether states are over represented as it is their vote that can change the election - so a majority of states are ignored throughout the election process as their result is more predictable
5 that faithless electors exist undermines the basic principles of democracy
NO
1 the electoral college ensures that small state remain represented. The US population is heavily concentrated in a few big states, the role and culture of smaller states could be ignored without the electoral college. Also allows different electoral procedures in each state
2 the electoral college guards against tyranny of the majority nationally.
3 there is no agreement on what should replace the electoral college
4 broadly the electoral college has produced clear winner -
Is the presidential election process effective
Yes
1 the lengthy process ensures the candidates are resilient enough to withstand the demands of being president
2 the electoral college has produced a clear winner able to effectively govern
3 the primary calendar ensures the voice of smaller states is heard
4 the ability to attract large amounts of money speaks of the character and appeal of the candidate making them more suited to the job
5 the expectation of the acceptance speech at national party conventions and a good performance in TV debates highlights skills a president is expected to have
6 it works - controversies have been quickly overcome
7 third parties can have a role
8 primaries allow voters a choice
No
1 the electoral college has proven to be increasingly out of step with popular sovereignty
2 the primaries calendar disadvantages some state while over representing the views of others
3 the expected televised debates have little impact on the outcome of the election and are a side show
4 the national party convention now not tax payer funded serves little democratic purpose
5 the amount of money required to become president makes the process elitist
6 the amount of money required also gives influence to interest groups over the public voice
7 the length of the process creates apathy among voters which can Lower turnout and undermine legitimacy of the election
8 the variety of voting methods has been critised and caused contoversy over results
9 in terms of power third parties are excluded from the election with the entire process creating a 2 party system
10 increasingly the role of the media is more influential than money spent and it is mostly unregulated
